Multiphase current-parking switching regulator

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining a target current;

computing a number of regulator phases needed to provide the target current to

a load based on an efficiency characteristic of the regulator phases; and configuring the regulator phases to provide the target current to the load, wherein

a first regulator phase is configured to couple a first current source to the load to provide a first portion of the target current, and

a second regulator phase couples the load to a second current source when an output voltage level at the load is less than a minimum voltage level and decoupled the load from the second current source when the output voltage level at the load is greater than a maximum voltage level.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second regulator phase is configured to provide a remaining portion of the target current.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a third regulator phase is configured to decouple a third current source from the load.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the third regulator phase is further configured to couple the third current source to the load only when the output voltage level at the load is less than a second minimum voltage level that is less than the minimum voltage level.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the minimum voltage level and the maximum voltage level are computed using a per-phase stagger voltage.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the per-phase stagger voltage is a triangle wave.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first regulator phase is further configured to decouple the first current source from the load only when the output voltage level at the load is greater than the maximum voltage level.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target current is set according to a processing workload.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing of the number of regulator phases needed to provide the target current comprises accessing a lookup table using the target current.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing of the number of regulator phases needed to provide the target current comprises performing a gradient search.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target current is greater than an average current that is needed to regulate an output voltage level at the load.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the current comprises alternately enabling a first switching mechanism to couple the current source to an electric power source while disabling a second switching mechanism to decouple the current source from a current sink according to the target current and the number of the regulator phases and then disabling the first switching mechanism to decouple the current source from the electric power source while enabling the second switching mechanism to couple the current source to the current sink according to the target current and the number of the regulator phases.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the current source comprises an inductor coupled between a voltage control mechanism and a current control mechanism.

14. A multi-phase electric power conversion device, comprising:

at least two regulator phases; and a multi-phase control unit configured to: obtain a target current;

compute a number of the regulator phases needed to provide the target current to a load based on an efficiency characteristic of the regulator phases; and configure the regulator phases to provide the target current to the load, wherein

a first regulator phase of the regulator phases is configured to couple a first current source to the load to provide a first portion of the target current, and

a second regulator phase couples the load to a second current source when an output voltage level at the load is less than a minimum voltage level and decoupled the load from the second current source when the output voltage level at the load is greater than a maximum voltage level.

15. The multi-phase electric power conversion device of claim 14 , wherein the second regulator phase of the regulator phases is configured to provide a remaining portion of the target current.

16. The multi-phase electric power conversion device of claim 14 , wherein a third regulator phase of the regulator phases is configured to decouple a third current source from the load.